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Dose Range PRN CD Prescribing — SCE Palliative Medicine MCQ

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EasySyringe Driver & Drug CompatibilityDose Range PRN CD PrescribingSCE Palliative Medicine

A palliative care registrar is reviewing a dying patient’s medication chart. The prescribed dose for SC morphine PRN is written as “morphine 2.5–5 mg SC PRN 2–4 hourly.” Is a dose range acceptable for a PRN controlled drug prescription in UK palliative care?

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Correct answer: D — Yes — dose ranges are acceptable in UK palliative care for PRN opioids, allowing clinical titration within prescribed frequency parameters

Dose ranges for PRN controlled drugs are standard and appropriate in UK palliative care. Both NHS England Palliative Care Pain & Symptom Control Guidelines and HWE ICS anticipatory prescribing guidance explicitly endorse prescribing ranges such as morphine 2.5–5 mg SC PRN with specified minimum interval. This allows responsiveness to varying symptom intensity while retaining safety. Option E is incorrect as ranges are endorsed. Option B falsely restricts to consultants. Option A wrongly suggests legal prohibition. Option C incorrectly restricts ranges to oral route. Only option D captures both acceptability and clinical rationale.

Reference: NHS England Palliative Care Pain & Symptom Control Guidelines (circa 2020); HWE ICS End of Life Care Anticipatory Prescribing Guidance (approx 2024)